This invention relates to a bicycle carrier, and more particularly to a bicycle rack mounted on a vehicle spare tire where the spare tire is in a vertical plane.
Since bicycles are awkward to carry and take considerable needed space when carried inside a motor vehicle, it is advantageous to carry the bicycle on the outside of the motor vehicle For security reasons, a provision for locking the bicycle on the vehicle is also advisable. A bicycle carrier should be conveniently and easily mounted so it can be quickly removed when it is not needed.
The patent to Traugh, U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,597, shows a bicycle rack supported on a spare tire and constructed of a plurality of rods fabricated to form an integral structure. A strap is fastened to the bicycle to support the bicycle in its carrying position. One embodiment of the rack of the Traugh patent is adjustable to fit different width spare tires. However, the adjustment components are not positively held together Rather, free sliding of the adjustment components is prevented only by conventional shock straps, which are prone to overstretching and fatigue-induced breakage Another disadvantage of the rack is that it is usable only on spare tires mounted in the middle of the back or front ends of a vehicle.
Another bicycle rack, manufactured by the 5th Wheel Company of San Clemente, Calif., utilizes the wheel lug holes of a rear mounted spare tire to mount the rack. The 5th Wheel Company rack is also limited to use on spare tires mounted in the middle of the vehicle.
A further disadvantage of prior spare tire mounted racks is that their bicycle supporting arms are fixed in place when the racks are mounted to spare tires. Consequently, the arms frequently are in the way when not needed and are potential safety hazards.
Thus, a need exists for improvements in vehicle mounted bicycle carrying racks.